Celebrating Two Months of Equity Crowdfunding from Sundance

It’s hard to believe that’s it’s only been a little over two months since we teamed up with MicroVentures to launch equity crowdfunding on Indiegogo through our portal First Democracy VC, and the last two months were even better than we expected. Our first batch of five offering companies reached their targets by collectively raising ~$1.4M from our amazing, ever-growing community of backers. That $1.4M will help launch a multi-player video game, make playing catch a lot more interesting with smartphone-connected sensors, build a social music marketplace, open a distillery and bar, and create a cafe/bar/pizza concept restaurant. That $1.4M can help bring innovative ideas into the world.

After such an incredible first two months, we can’t wait to see what happens with our second batch of offerings, which just launched last week. This time, investors have the chance to choose grilled cheese or horror movies (or both!) and join the The Grilled Cheese Truck to feed the world’s favorite cheesy sandwich to more people, or join the producers of “The Field Guide to Evil” to put scary stories from around the world on the big screen.

Bringing the Latest in Film Financing to Park City

The timing is perfect – the first equity film campaign on Indiegogo through First Democracy VC, “The Field Guide to Evil” just launched at the world-renowned Sundance Film Festival. “The Field Guide to Evil” is backstopped by Drafthouse Films of Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, and is the second in a series of horror anthologies from the producers of the “The ABCs of Death.” This time, they found eight directors from around the world to cinematize folktales that get passed down from generation to generation to terrify and delight their communities. Producer Ant Timpson said that he and his co-producer Tim League were “excited about the prospect of working with investors and the fan community in bringing this project to life” and that they chose equity crowdfunding because they “wanted to be at the very forefront of this new adventure in film financing.” Finally, their fans can join the adventure too.

Since its inception, crowdfunding has made it possible for countless filmmakers to fund their movies, but oftentimes even crowdfunding successes require additional investment from the opaque and mysterious world of film financing. Equity crowdfunding is not only bringing much-needed transparency into the process, but allowing anyone who is excited about a concept and a team to participate. And perhaps even more importantly, film financing will no longer be for the most elite, most famous, or most well-connected filmmakers. Now, all great voices in film can be supported and heard.

There is no shortage of great ideas in the world. We launched equity crowdfunding so that you, no matter who you are, can be part of bringing an idea to life. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, small business owner, or just someone who shares that passion, we have something for you.

Check out our investment opportunities, or learn more about launching a campaign here.